A aircraft load of passengers touring from LA to Sydney for the New 12 months noticed their celebration hopes dashed when the aircraft was pressure to make an emergency touchdown in distant American Samoa, a sequence of islands set between Hawaii and New Zealand.
Stranded for roughly 21 hours on the scenic isle of Tutuila, more than 300 United Airways’ passengers reportedly obtained a tour of the island, drank beers on the seaside, and loved a quick meals feast of Micky D’s.
Earlier than catching one other flight again to Sydney early Sunday, the aircraft’s pilot – who reportedly needed to to circle the island hour hours as its runway doesn’t sport lights – even purchased the weary vacationers pictures in a present of apology.
The aircraft, recognized as United flight 839, landed at Pago Pago Airport round midnight Friday, however was redirected to the islands – that are an American territory – Friday at 6:22am attributable to a mechanical situation, flight officers stated.
Greater than 300 travellers had been left stranded in scenic Pago Pago (pictured), the place passengers spent 21 hours taking a tour of the island, consuming beers, and consuming quick meals
‘At the moment’s flight diverted to Pago Pago to deal with a mechanical situation,’ an announcement from the airline Friday learn.
‘We’re making use of our services, together with obtainable resort choices, to accommodate our clients, and can fly in a brand new plane to the island to allow them to end their journey to Sydney quickly.’
Stranded in a setting that the majority would think about a paradise, passengers on the wayward flight reportedly discovered themselves with out meals when touching down in Pago Pago, Tutuila Island’s capital.
Kin of passengers shortly took to Twitter to report in real-time on the state of affairs, with many saying that these on board had been being sorted by locals who fortunately graciously obtained the vacationers.
‘My daughter is now stranded,’ one man wrote at 7:22 pm Saturday, 13 hours into the flight’s unusual saga. ‘They (passengers) showered at hanger, bought (a) tour of island and (are) consuming beers on abandoned seaside.’
A couple of hours earlier than, a girl wrote that her household – together with her younger granddaughters – had additionally been on the flight. She additionally stated that the Samoan folks had been serving to the passengers, however questioned why the airline was not the one addressing the difficulty.
She added {that a} substitute flight was anticipated within the early hours of New 12 months’s Day – which means passengers would nonetheless miss the world well-known firework celebrations at off the Sydney Harbor.
‘My son and granddaughters had been on that flight,’ the lady wrote Friday at 4:42pm.
‘Simply spoke with him and he stated the Samoan ppl (sic) have been extremely beneficiant(as they all the time are ) and everyone seems to be being sorted earlier than their flight early tomorrow morning.’
Round 4400km from Sydney, Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the US situated within the South Pacific Ocean, south-east of island nation Samoa.
